


hidden conformist

by dogmat



Series: snk drabbles [6]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Big brother Zeke, Comedy, Eren Yeager Is a Ray of Sunshine, Funny, Levi calls Zeke an ape, Levi is Mikasa's brother, Mikasa and Eren are childhood friends, Modern AU, Oneshot, Self-Indulgent, Zeke calls Levi a midget, doting brother zeke, no relationships - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27035539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dogmat/pseuds/dogmat
Summary: Eren was a delinquent. He ran in the halls, slept in class, and was often found out of dress code. His hood wasn’t school appropriated, and his red undershirt was obvious under the standard collared shirt whose top buttons were always left open. All in all, Eren was a delinquent.ORthe modern AU Oneshot where Eren is a ray of sunshine who tries to act like bad boy. No one is convinced.
Series: snk drabbles [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1914526
Comments: 5
Kudos: 112





	hidden conformist

**Author's Note:**

> My classmate once told me that she was going to be a 'delinquent' for a day, but all she did was run in the halls (quietly, and hid when the teacher appeared), ate snacks in the halls (gummy bears), and wore pink socks (white was only allowed). So this fic was born.
> 
> \+ Levi is Mikasa's brother and they often visit the Yeager bros  
> \+ midget = Levi
> 
> A really self-indulgent fic where Eren is (yet again) a ray of sunshine.
> 
> Along with a plot bunny I had of Zeke being an overprotective brother.
> 
> Please enjoy!

“Wanna skip classes?” Jean raised an eyebrow at Eren and pointed his lollipop at the brunet. “How ‘bout you? Coming, or…”

Eren shook his head. “I have English.”

“…and?”

“I share it with Mikasa.”

Connie shuddered. “ _Mikasa_ ,” he wheezed.

Jean patted Connie’s shoulder in understanding. “I know, right?” He said with admiration. “She’s so beautiful and yet…” he jabbed a thumb at the brunet. “She only has eyes for him.”

“ _What_?” Connie faked a gag. “ _No!_ I meant she’s scary!”

Jean nodded in agreement, clearly not understanding. “She _is_.”

It wasn’t long before the bell rang, signaling that lunch was ending, but Eren was the only one that stood from his seat, gathering his bag and preparing to walk to his next class. He waited for a minute, patiently still as he watched the huge wave of people moving out of the cafeteria, and he was about to leave as the crowd began to disperse when—

“Oi, Eren.”

Eren grunted. “ _What?”_ He snapped.

Jean held out a hand. “Give me those cancer sticks.”

Connie nodded and he too held out a hand at the brunet.

Eren sighed in defeat and turned to his back pocket, rummaging for several moments until he took out six lollipops. “You mean cavity sticks.” He put three in each hand, nodding at the muttered ‘thank you’. “And don’t say that out loud! What if the teachers hear that?”

Connie snorted. “We’re _delinquents_. We do this kind of stuff.” 

* * *

Eren was glad that his English teacher was lax, or else he would have been marked as ‘tardy’ when he arrived even after the bell rang. However, the teacher only gave him a bare nod before returning to his computer, giving time for the boy to get to his seat at the front of the class.

“Where were you?” Mikasa questioned. She narrowed her eyes at Eren’s clothing. “Don’t tell me you were with _them_ again.”

Eren waved Mikasa’s concerns off and spent the next minute taking out his supplies.

“Notebook… case… glasses? Ah. And… book. Wait.”

He was a delinquent.

And delinquents _don’t_ pay attention.

So Eren put everything away at once, ignoring Armin’s questioning glance from behind, and promptly put his head down on his desk and closed his eyes, hoping that he would fall asleep. 

* * *

“You were sleeping again,” Mikasa said quietly.

Eren nodded. 

“You put away all your stuff.”

He nodded again.

“And you ate snacks in class.”

A nod before, “Huh?”

She stared pointedly at Eren’s lollipop. 

“Oh.” Was all he said.

Armin glanced at Eren. “Do you even know the homework?”

“No.”

A sigh. “You really should take school seriously, Eren. Zeke would be really worried if you were failing.”

Eren faltered in his walking for a second. He turned to Armin slowly and said, “Don’t tell him anything.” He sped up, leaving Armin and Mikasa in the middle of the crowded hallways.

Mikasa looked at Armin. “He knows.” 

Armin cocked his head. “What?”

“He knows the homework,” she clarified, adding, “Eren wasn’t sleeping at all.”

* * *

Obviously, the fact that Eren rushed to the nearest restroom to change out of his ‘delinquent clothes’ proved that Eren was in fact, _not_ an actual delinquent. Actually, it was the opposite. Eren’s grades were good, great, even, and there was never any particular rudeness that he emitted towards the teachers. He cleans up after himself enough to make the custodian, Levi proud, and it only served to make everyone question _why_ Eren seemed to call himself a delinquent.

For the middle school vice principal, Mr. Smith, it was something he got amusement out of. Eren’s obvious attempt at breaking rules was minor at the best, such as being out of dress code, running in the halls, and eating a lollipop that he and his friends called ‘cancer sticks’. It became hilarious when the brunet became wary when his friends called the candy ‘that’ out loud, chiding them that they could get in trouble. That’s why, when he and his colleagues sat in the teacher’s lounge one afternoon, Eren was at the center of their conversation.

“Eren Yeager?” Was all Erwin needed to say.

“Cute!” Hange gushed. “His obvious attempts at acting like a delinquent is hilarious to watch—and oh! Last class, Eren was so worried when one of his friends, Kirstein? Jean? Dropped a beaker!”

Mike nodded in agreement. “He’s very polite.” He stated.

“I wonder why that boy’s trying to act that way,” Petra mused. “Deliberate or not, I’d like to know why he’s trying so hard to be… well, a delinquent.”

Erwin turned to Levi. “You?”

“At least he cleans up after himself,” Levi drawled, looking away from the others to stare at the window.

“What if Eren’s trying to act like Levi?” Hange suggested. “I heard that there’s a rumor of Levi being an important member of the mafia—"

Oluo snorted. “That brat should join the mafia then—”

“Oluo!” Petra whacked the man’s head harshly. “Don’t say something like that!”

“Doesn’t that brat have a brother or something?” Oluo continued as if nothing happened. “Maybe he showed something weird to his little brother.”

The other teachers pondered on Oluo’s statement. Surprisingly, Levi snorted at the other man’s statement.

“His brother’s a creep, but he’s not the type to show something suspicious to Eren.” He paused before adding, “That guy’s overprotective as fuck.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Zeke suddenly sneezed. And it was a loud one. His body violently shook and he let out a loud sound before shooting out of his seat and crashing onto the ground in a graceless heap. The blond man sniffed and trembled, and got up from his seat, only to bend over and fall a second time as another wave of a violent sneeze came without a single ‘how do you do’.

“Urg,” he fixed his glasses and groaned.

Without a warning, a sudden blur flew to his side and he suppressed another groan as a particular hard elbow dug into his ribs rather painfully. _Eren_ , he thought.

“You’re home,” he remarked. 

Eren—looking every bit agitated and anxious after witnessing his brother fly from his chair and crash to the ground _twice_ —frowned at his brother’s statement.

“Never mind that, _are you okay_?”

“Never been better,” Zeke replied.

The brunet cocked his head to the side and scrutinized his brother, unsure if his answer was sarcasm or not. Regardless, he helped the larger man up and watched worriedly as the man rubbed his hip.

“Does it hurt?”

Zeke paused for a minuscule of a moment before putting both hands into his pocket. “No,” he shook his head. At Eren’s dubious look, he added, “ _Really._ Just a really bad sneeze.” He turned to his younger brother and grinned ever so slightly. “How about you? How was school?”

Eren shrugged. “It was good.” He said lamely.

Zeke raised his eyebrows. “ _Good?”_

“Excellent,” the brunet clarified.

“How so?”

The smaller boy shrugged again. “It was normal. That’s good.”

* * *

When Eren left his house at night to buy extra groceries (that Zeke blissfully forgot to buy), he never expected to run into not only _one_ , but _two_ people he knew from school. Clad in a black and white drop shoulder oversized sweater and shorts that he forgot to change out of, it was the least desirable clothes he wanted to be seen in by the people from school. However, his worries were all for naught as he spotted a familiar small figure.

“Eren? Is that you?”

The brunet nodded.

Hange grinned at the boy. “You look so cute in an oversized sweater! I just want to hug you and kidnap you home!”

There was a huff behind the science teacher. “Don’t do illegal shit, Hange.”

Eren turned his focus to the smaller man and observed the _six_ grocery store bags he had in his arms. “Mikasa?” He asked.

Levi raised three bags. “These are.” Then he pulled the other three up. “But these aren’t.”

Hange let out an exasperated sigh. “Levi splurged on cleaning supplies. _Again_.”

Eren let out a light laugh.

Suddenly, Hange turned her head and stared at Eren with a serious expression before breaking out in a smile. With a complete disregard towards personal space, she scooted towards the brunet. “Oh? So how’s my favorite delinquent doing? Skipped any classes?” She waggled her eyebrows.

Eren’s face instantly morphed into one akin to horror and he paled. “O-of course not!” He blurted, aghast. “I would never—” and then he froze. “I-I mean—”

“Relax, Eren!” Hange assured. “We all know that you haven’t skipped any classes, delinquent or not!”

The brunet blushed. “That’s not the point!”

Levi sighed. He turned to the brunet and changed the subject, much to Hange’s disappointment and Eren’s relief. “How’s that ape? Still breathing?” He asked.

“Very,” Eren assured.

There was a slight pause and a rustling of the grocery bags before he asked, “Does he know?”

Eren snorted. “Of course not! He would get even more worried than he is now.”

Levi let out a quiet hum while Hange listened to the two’s conversation with a grin.

* * *

It was supposed to be nonchalant. It was supposed to be a simple conversation but...

“I saw Levi.”

Zeke jerked his head and gasped. “That midget? … that… _midget?_ ” He turned and looked at Eren worriedly. “Did—did he do anything?”

“No!” Eren denied, appalled. “Why—why would you think that?”

The larger man frowned, and his eyes had a strange gleam in them as he glared at the window. “I don’t trust that _midget_ ,” he practically growled. “Don’t trust that midget, okay? And—don’t even go near him.”

Eren scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Uh… but he’s the custodian at my school.”

The larger man gasped dramatically. “He’s _stalking_ you?”

Eren facepalmed.

* * *

So, yes. Maybe Eren _is_ avoiding Zeke after that weird conversation the night before. And he doesn’t regret it. Not one bit. 

_What was Zeke thinking?_

He thought. Just because his brother and Mikasa’s brother had some weird… weirdness going on between them didn’t mean that they have to drag their siblings in! Especially Zeke! He thought Zeke was the mature one, but obviously not with how poorly handled his hatred towards Levi was. What was his problem?

However, part of him sincerely regrets avoiding his older brother, because that meant that he avoided the living room—including the kitchens—meaning that he didn’t make any lunch, _and_ meaning that he never ate any breakfast. But he never thought much of it at the time and went to the bathroom on the way and changed into his usual out-of-dress-code clothes before arriving at school.

Classes went by normally and Eren pretended to sleep while listening.

Lunch on the other hand…

When lunch arrived, he was eating with Jean, Connie, Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, Reiner, Bertolt, and even Annie. And while that wasn’t anything out of the norm, what happened _during_ lunch was.

It was a hot day, so Eren had his usual hoodie in his bag, and he reluctantly ate the school’s horrible lunch, wishing that he hadn’t just walked out of the house without any food.

“Eren, you have to eat.” Reiner chided. He shoved another spoonful of _goop_ into his mouth, and with the food still in his mouth, he said, “That’s why you’re so thin.”

“Disgusting,” Mikasa said with distaste. She glared at the blond. “Eren’s perfectly fine.”

Connie, unaware of the tension, turned to the brunet and lent out a hand. “Oi Eren, gimme those—”

“I swear, Connie if you say ‘cancer sticks’ one more time, I’m going to stab you.” Eren snapped. In the end, he rummaged through his pocket and handed the smaller boy three lollipops and the other boy silently took them and turned back to whatever he was working on.

Reiner stared at the lollipop and sighed, but whatever he was about to say was interrupted by the sudden large _bang_ of the cafeteria door opening. Violently. The doors hit the wall and rebounded, and before they could completely close, a hand pushed the door once again and a figure ran in with several teachers running after him.

“EREN!”

Armin turned to the brunet. ‘Eren’, he mouthed in confusion.

 _However, Eren wasn’t confused._ _NO_! He thought. He turned red as a familiar large figure ran up to him with a bag, but that was completely ignored as the figure suddenly wrapped their arms around him.

“Eren!” Zeke wailed. “Please don’t ignore me! I take it back! I’ll even be nice to the _midget_ for an hour, just please don’t’ ignore me!”

The cafeteria was silent and his friends gaped (minus Mikasa) at the unknown blond man who continued to embrace the brunet.

Just as Eren was going to speak, Zeke wailed once again, tears obvious in his eyes as he handed the jostled bag over to the boy. “Please don’t ignore your dear brother,” he sniffed and then spoke in a quieter voice. “You forgot your lunch.”

And Eren wanted to do nothing but punch his ‘dear brother’. 

The teachers who had followed Zeke into the cafeteria were frozen, however, from their trembling figure and their twitching mouths, Eren knew that they were on the verge of laughing—don’t laugh! 

_Oh shit_. Eren thought as he suddenly remembered what he was wearing. And from Zeke’s sudden change in expression from a tearful brother to a murderous man, he knew that Zeke noticed too.

As low as possible, Zeke said slowly, “Eren… what are you wearing?”

“Uh,” Eren said unintelligently. “I-I can explain—”

“It’s not your fault,” Zeke assured.

 _Huh?_

He continued, much louder. “I’m going to _kill_ him! Stalking my precious, cute, _adorable_ brother, and then _tainting_ him!” And then he turned around and stormed out of the cafeteria, yelling for Levi.

“B-but,” Eren stammered regardless of the fact that Zeke couldn’t hear. “It’s not his fault, though?”

“Tough luck,” Jean choked out. 

“ _Real_ tough luck,” Connie said in a similar manner.

Eren turned to Mikasa. “Will he be okay?”

Mikasa waved a hand dismissively, looking strangely happy as she turned to him. “That midget will be fine.”

Eren let out a sigh.

* * *

When Eren entered the living room and was met with the sight of a bruised Zeke on the ground with Levi idly watching the TV, he knew he should have been more worried. However, with one dismissive wave from the smaller man, he let go any concern he held and left to make dinner, but not before asking:

“Will you be staying for dinner?”

Zeke let out a muffled scream while Levi held up two fingers.

“She’ll also be eating. You don’t mind?”

Eren smiled. “No problem.”

Zeke let out a muffled sob.

**Author's Note:**

> Eren really should have been worried.
> 
> Real worried.
> 
> When he woke up the next day, his usual clothes were mysteriously missing, and in its place was a beige oversized v-neck sweater that strangely reminded him of the ‘soft’ fashion he’d seen some of the girls fawn over. Having no options besides freezing to death due to the chilly morning, he grudgingly changed into his uniform and wore the sweater over. And he definitely did NOT purr at the sheer warmth of it.
> 
> He wisely ignored his sulking brother and began to eat his breakfast while watching the morning news. ‘No problem.’ He thought as his brother suddenly turned to him.
> 
> But then…
> 
> When he was about to leave, Zeke demanded to let him escort his ‘dear brother’ to school, and he could do nothing but ignore his presence as he trekked his way to campus.
> 
> And when Zeke—looking like a posh young man in his twenties—suddenly punched Levi in the face like a barbarian, only to be punched back (violently), he did nothing but watch. And maybe with a little bit of amusement, but that’s a secret.
> 
> -
> 
> “Eren—” Armin froze. “You—”
> 
> “You can tell me anything BUT about this sweater,” Eren grouched. 
> 
> Armin laughed awkwardly. “Well, it looks very nice on you.”
> 
> “I hope you’re talking about something other than this sweater.”
> 
> The blond let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine—wait, can I ask one thing about it?”
> 
> He took Eren’s silence as a welcome to continue. 
> 
> “Where did you get it from?”
> 
> The brunet shrugged and ignored the other kids quietly leaning over to hear. 
> 
> “Dunno,” he answered. “It suddenly appeared when I woke up today.”
> 
> “Meaning that Zeke had it hidden in his closet until today,” Mikasa stated.
> 
> Jean suddenly burst out laughing. He pointed at the brunet (or the sweater. Or both) and continued to cackle while Connie awkwardly pat Jean’s back. It wasn’t until the two-toned-haired boy choked on his lollipop did he finally stop.
> 
> “Your brother,” Jean wheezed. “Is weird.”
> 
> Eren shoved several lollipops to make the horseface shut up.


End file.
